My prototype shows 4 scenarios and their solutions in an app that will be created especially for ADHD people. It is designed to organize and prioritize tasks and to work through them in a structured way. These scenarios can be tested in the further course of the work of people with ADHD.
Scenario 01 – Overwhelm
Lars feels overwhelmed by all the task he ahs to do. To feel less stressed he wants to otganize them.
Scenario 02 – Distraction
Lars wants to work on a task but he is easily distracted by his phone. He wants to be more productive.
Scenario 03 – Prioritisation
Ther is so much to do. Lars doesn´t know where to beginn. All the Tasks are just floating in his head.
Scenatio 04 – Geting started
Lars is waisting his time scroling on instagram. feeling very guilty about it. Not doing the work he wanted to do.
In this blogpost I want to look at different Apps that can help people that are stuggling with adhd, especially with structuring and organization of tasks and time management and productivity timers.
Forist a gamified app that uses a virtual tree to encourage focus and discourage phone use during work or study sessions. If you exit Forest your tree dies, by staying in the app it will grow bigger.
Positiv:
it keeps your focus on tasks
fun and gamefied way
very cute engaging graffics
not to many options (straightforward)
well organised side menu
tracking progress, achefment
Negativ:
in app purchase pop ups
can´t organize tasks
paywall for many important features ex.:custom work tags
“Ich mag die Möglichkeit des Abbruchs, was dann durch einen toten Baum gekennzeichnet wird. Es sperrt also nicht komplett das Handy, was etwas selbstdisziplin erfordert. Meiner Meinung nach eine tolle app!”
Reflection: It is a very fun way to keep people from distracting themselfs. As people with ADHD have low impuls controle, not beeing able to excit a work app surtainly is a promessing feature. But in my opinion this App lacks the possibility to organize tasks that need to be done.
Focus To-Do: Promodoro Timer
Focus To-Do is a time management app that utilizes the Pomodoro Technique, breaking work into intervals with breaks to improve productivity and maintain focus.
Positiv:
easy acess timer
add aproxemate time for task
background noices
Subdivide the task into subitems
Indififualizable promodore settings
Report Page
in addition to tasks you can add Appointments
Negativ
overwhelming Interface
Ranking list could be toxic
easy to loos overview
no possibilitys of taking notes
no overall Kalender for better organisation
no Priority grouping
Completed tasks arent grouped
No Priority
“einen richtigen Kalender, so kann man Termine und Lernzeiten besser verknüpfen und hat alles auf einem Blick. So wie es aktuell gelöst ist finde ich es zu umständlich. Ich würde mir bei allem was man anlegt Raum für Notizen wünschen. Vorallem dann, wenn einem weitere Gedanken zu der Aufgabe einfallen.“
Reflection: This seems to be a good app for neurotypical people. I found it quite confusing at first. There is no wizard to guide you through the process/ to make it easier. Even tho you are able to give the tasks prioritys, this does not have any affect on the way the tasks are presented. Everything Seems important
Any.do – Aufgaben + Kalender
Offers task management features, reminders, and the ability to create collaborative to-do lists.
Positiv:
nice wizard guiding
My Day: daily plannig made more intuative
posibility to conect work tasks
simpeler Interface
Notes and attachments are possibile
Adding Shopping lists
Negativ
constant selling Pop ups
priorisation very badly / smal not visibill at all
Naviagtion is weird
no timer to actually work on tasks
difficult to add deatails to taks
Refection This app has a clean and simple design witch makes it easyer to use. The naviagtion Process is not very intuituve and there is no way to mark and organize Prioritys of tasks in an efficent way. Also the Timetracking tool is missing here. And there are to many anoying Addvertisments.
“Mir hilft, dass sie mich durch Erinnerungen und Meldungen quasi zwingt, mich damit zu befassen” “die Funktion “plane deinen Tag” die selbstständig auffordert; Bei anderen Planern muss ich vorher aktiv werden.”
Refection This app has a clean and simple design witch makes it easyer to use. The naviagtion Process is not very intuituve and there is no way to mark and organize Prioritys of tasks in an efficent way. Also the Timetracking tool is missing here. And there are to many anoying Addvertisments.
Todoist: To-do-Liste & Planer
A task management app that allows users to create to-do lists, set due dates, and receive reminders to help stay organized and on top of their tasks.
Positiv:
Adding tasks in detail by writing
adding Tags for more organisation
Intuitiv adding of Task
Setting Reminders
Eingang: alle tasks im überblick
Wiederholungen Möglich
most important feature always at hand +adding tasks
Tagesziele
Negativ:
nicht alles selbsterklärend / kein wizard
navigation just okay
no timer posibility
Push benachrichtigungen nur permium
no way of add estimate time
log in is a must
adding the time to a project is inconvinient
can´t add aproximade the duration of a task
you have to log in
“Man kann in verschiedene Prioritäten, Gruppen und Projekte unterteilen und Unteraufgaben erstellen. Man kann sich wiederholende Daten eingeben wie jeden Mittwoch. Es ist einstellbar, ob man Erinnerungen möchte. Allerdings sehe ich viele Optimierungsmöglichkeiten wie geschätzte Zeitdauer und Intensivität, Deadlines u.w.”
14 Februar
“Zu kompliziert gestaltet, die ganze app fühlt sich eher wie ein spiel an in dem man versucht täglich flammen zu behalten! Beim versuch das konto zu löschen benötigt man passwort welches man nie eingerichtet hat?”
April 2023
Refelction: It seems to be a well working app. Adding tasks is the best I have seen so far, very detailed. Also individual pages. Adding Rotating tasks is also good, but still no way of actually takeling the tasks. the handling of prioritys is better in this application. Still the Onboarding process is not that good, having to find everything by myself.
Fabulous – Gewohnheit Planer
Gesunde tägliche Routinen erstellen. Erfolgbringende Gewohnheiten & Zielen Positiv: very charming engagement, nice language, look and cozy, friendly feel, very nice design Con: only manage habbits
Focus@Will
Durch Musik soll die Conzentration gesteitgert werden. Positiv: hightend concentration, tracking progress Con: sessions don´t have breaks, no task name
Addie – ADHD/ADHS Planer
An app that helps people with ADHD manage tasks, reduce overwhelm and get stuff done. Pro: Detailed Prioritisation, takled Timeblindes, Reward system, cute design Con: Payment needed
Learnings After looking at all these different Apps I found that non of them realy does a good job at combining an efficent Taskmanager with a Produktivity Time. The App also has to take into account how its Design can affect neuro-divergent people. For excample random Pop-Ups can distract them from the task at hand, or in another cases they need those pop-ups to remind them/ getting them back on the task at hand.
Managing your taks alone not enough- need timer to fullfill
reminding you of important tasks
Prioritasiation is very important
Task need to be broken down
other app exclusen in timer (way to keep people not dostracten) is needed
it would be nice to have kind reminders to help you start difficult tasks( like: hey, you can do the job: jsut start your 5 min timer, ende: greate job do you want to keep on working?-yes-no I don´t feel ready)
future investigation:
How can features of an app be designed to help ADHD peoble with prioritisation/ not get distracted by thair tasks.
Witch features are espacially bad if used wrong for adhd people ex: Pop ups, animations
Recently, I have become more involved with the topic of adhd and its effect on mental health. Since I would also find this topic very interesting as a master’s thesis subject, I would like to discuss it briefly below.
ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that can significantly impact an individual’s daily functioning. The effects of ADHD on mental health are profound. People with ADHD often experience challenges in various aspects of their lives, including academics, work, relationships, and self-esteem. The difficulties in sustaining attention and focus can lead to academic underachievement, low self-confidence, and feelings of frustration or inadequacy. Impulsivity and hyperactivity can result in impulsive decision-making, risk-taking behaviors, and difficulties in maintaining healthy relationships. Moreover, individuals with ADHD are more prone to developing co-occurring mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders. These comorbidities can further exacerbate the emotional and psychological burden experienced by individuals with ADHD. However, with appropriate diagnosis, treatment, and support, individuals with ADHD can learn effective coping strategies, improve their mental well-being, and lead fulfilling lives.
In particular, the work life of people with ADHD is strongly impacted by symptoms such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. this could also be a particular approach for digital solutions to help adhs people with their symptoms. Here are some common challenges they may face:
Difficulty with focus and organization
Procrastination and time management issues
Impulsivity and poor impulse control
Hyperactivity and restlessness
Difficulties with time estimation and task duration
Difficulty with prioritasiasion of tasks
Some of these chalanges could be improved with the help of an application. For excample:
Structure and organization: Establishing clear routines, setting up reminders, and utilizing organizational tools (such as calendars, to-do lists, and project management software) can help individuals with ADHD stay organized, manage their time effectively, and prioritize tasks.
Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps: Breaking down complex tasks into smaller, actionable steps can make them more manageable and reduce feelings of overwhelm. This approach can help individuals stay focused and make progress without becoming discouraged.
I think that this direction is also a rewarding thesis topic
As announced in the previous blog entry, I took a look at self-care tools and grouped some of the more popular appliactions into different categories. This should help me to make the right decision on which application area I want to specialize in the future and which applications I want to study and compare in more detail.
Meditation and mindfulness apps: Apps like Headspace, Calm, and Insight Timer offer guided meditation sessions, breathing exercises, and mindfulness practices to help individuals relax, reduce stress, and improve focus.
Mood tracking apps: Apps like Daylio and Moodpath allow users to track their moods, emotions, and activities. These apps provide insights into patterns and triggers, helping individuals gain a better understanding of their emotional well-being.
Journaling apps: Apps like Journey and Day One offer digital journaling platforms, allowing individuals to express their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Journaling can serve as a therapeutic practice, helping individuals gain clarity and process their feelings.
Relaxation and stress reduction apps: Apps like Pacifica and Relax Melodies provide relaxation exercises, breathing techniques, nature sounds, and calming music to help individuals manage stress, anxiety, and sleep-related issues.
Physical activity trackers: Devices and apps like Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Google Fit track physical activity levels, providing motivation and reminders to engage in regular exercise. Physical activity has been shown to have positive effects on mental health.
Sleep improvement apps: Apps like Sleep Cycle and SleepScore analyze sleep patterns, provide sleep recommendations, and offer features like white noise or guided sleep meditations to help individuals improve the quality of their sleep.
In addition to this categorization, a scientific review of the topic of mental health mobile application should be carried out.
Digital solutions as well as Interaction and UX design can play a crucial role in addressing the barriers to mental health help-seeking and providing support to individuals. In the following, I would like to describe some ways in which the various aspects of interaction design can help:
User-friendly and accessible platforms: Well designed digital platforms, such as websites and mobile applications, that are intuitive, user-friendly, and accessible are helping individuals with varying levels of digital literacy. Consider using clear language, simple navigation, and intuitive interfaces to ensure easy access to mental health resources.
Confidentiality and privacy: Emphasize strong privacy and confidentiality measures to instill trust in users. Clearly communicate how their personal information will be protected and ensure that interactions and data collection are secure. This can help alleviate concerns about privacy and encourage individuals to seek help.
Personalization and customization: Allow users to personalize their mental health journey within the design. Provide options for customization based on individual needs and preferences, such as choosing specific topics, therapy formats, or self-help tools. Personalization can enhance engagement and make the experience more tailored and relevant to each person.
Empathy and emotional support: Incorporate empathy and emotional support into the interaction design by using compassionate language, supportive visuals, and positive reinforcement. Provide interactive elements that validate emotions and offer encouragement throughout the user’s journey. This can create a sense of empathy and understanding, reducing the fear of judgment and fostering a supportive environment.
Education and awareness: Design interactive aplications that educate users about mental health conditions, treatment options, and available resources. Provide interactive modules or videos that explain common symptoms, coping strategies, and when to seek professional help. Promote mental health literacy and awareness through engaging and informative content.
Peer support and community building: Facilitate peer support and community building within the interaction design. Include features that allow users to connect with others who have similar experiences, such as discussion forums, chat rooms, or support groups. This can create a sense of belonging, reduce isolation, and provide individuals with emotional support from others who understand their struggles.
Seamless access to professional help: Incorporate features that facilitate easy and seamless access to mental health professionals. This can include options for online consultations, appointment scheduling, and instant messaging with therapists or counselors. Make it clear how users can reach out for immediate help in crisis situations.
Reminders and self-care tools: Implement interactive features that promote self-care and well-being. This can include reminders for medication, mindfulness exercises, guided relaxation techniques, or mood tracking tools. Encourage users to engage in self-care practices and provide them with practical tools to manage their mental health.
It’s important to remember that interaction design should be user-centered, continuously tested, and refined based on user feedback and needs. Collaborating with mental health professionals and individuals with lived experience can provide valuable insights and ensure the design effectively meets the requirements of the target audience.
Of all the points collected above, i find the last point the most intersting for me. I will focus on self-care tools for now and do more research on these Application while sending out a survey that will tell me more about potential users.
During the last semester i have been working on the topic of mental health. Why there are so many people who don’t get the help they need and how design solutions can help. The topic of mental health is highly relevant in today’s world. Mental illnesses affect almost every 4th person today. Reasons I found during my research why mentally ill people do not seek the necessary help:
Fears of judgment
Stigmata
Lack of awareness and understanding
Shortage of slots
Unaffordability
Limited access to mental health services
Furthermore, during my reschersche, i looked into possible ways of using design as a solution to this problem. The goal of these approaches is often destigmatization and education, gamefication, as well as providing seamless access to professional help and other self-help tools. I came across the following design approaches that are already being applied:
Educational campaigns
Books
Exhebitions
Game
digital solutions like self-help apps
This semester, I want to delve even deeper into the digital solutions in order to finde the right topic for my master thesis. I also would like to conduct a questionar to gane more insights about my target group an thair behaviour as well as what could be benificiall for them. I also need to finde a clear Idea of what my project could look like in order to produce a Prototype.
Um ein noch besseres Verständnis aufzubauen, warum Menschen sich nicht die Hilfe hohlen die sich bräuchten möchte ich eine Umfrage verfassen. Sie soll verschiedene Themenbereiche abfragen.
Zunächst werden die Demografischen Daten abgefragt.
Dann soll das allgemeine Interesse am Thema und die Kontaktpunkte mit dem Thema erfragt werden.
Schließlich sollen eventuelle Stigmata identifiziert werden.
Des Weiteren werden Fragen gestellt über die Inanspruchnahme des Gesundheitssystem in Sachen Mental Health.
Zuletzt soll festgestellt werden welche Mittel genutzt werden um sich mit der eigenen Mentalen Gesundheit auseinander zu setzten.
What gender do you identify with? Male,Female,Divers
Wie alt bist du?
Are you interested in the topic of mental health? Yes / No
How did you get in touch with the topic of mental health? Friends/Family Articles/ News Social Media Reconnaissance Campaign Not yet Other_____
What do you think about people who go to therapy? ________
Questions: Agree – Disagree People who go to therapy are weak. You should only go to therapy when you are in a really bad place. I would go to therapy after a burn-out. Therapy is for sensitive people. If I have depression, I would go to therapy. If I have mental problems, I would go to coaching. I work on my mental health.
Do you talk a lot with your friends/family about Mental health often – never
Which gender do you talk to about your Mental Health more often? Male,Female,Divers
Have you ever been to therapy? Yes, No
When would you go to therapy? _____
Would you like to go to therapy (again)? Yes No
Why were you in therapy? _____(open)
Why didn’t you go to therapy? I do not need it It is too expensive The waiting time is too long The process to get a therapist is too difficult Other_____
What bothers you about therapy? _____
What resources have you used to address your mental health? Therapy Mental Health Apps Self-help books Meditation Sports, Yoga AI Chat Bot Coaching Conversations with friends/family/acquaintances Mindfulness exercises Writing diary Other____ None
Do you know what would be good for your mental health? ______
Do you have any further comments on the subject? ______
Last week my fellow students and I traveled to Barcelona to visit the OFFF Barcelona fair from March 23rd to 25th. It was a lot of fun to explore the fair and Barcelona together with my colleagues and to reflect on our experiences together. I gained some positive new experiences and insights.
The venue of the OFFF was the design Museum of Barcelona. It was very cool to see so many creative minds in one place. There were some interesting talks. Unfortunately some of them overlapped or were in smaller rooms that were quickly overcrowded. In the area of interaction design there were a couple of interesting talks which I personally found the most inspiring like the one by Jjosue Ibanez and Iregular. Some of these speakers gave insights into their working methods.
Joshua Davis, an American designer and technologist, for example, talked about the development of his current design style. He showed his very beginnings and that he tried a lot of things in his development process, many of which didn’t look good. He talked about how around 2010 he realized he was too stuck in the same patterns. So he decided to move out of his comfort zone and try something new. My take away from his talk was that you always have to stay in the uncomfortable to work creatively in new ways.
Another topic about which many speakers talked about was, of course, AI. Artificial intelligence is also a worrying topic for the creative industry, as there is the idea that AI could take over creative professions. Some speakers had similar opinions on this: we should not see AI as an adversary but use it and cooperate with it, this way we can expand our skills and stay up to date with the latest developments.
We also had the opportunity to attend workshops by ZetaFonts, an independent type foundry from Florence. The workshop was a really fun and exciting experience where we learned a lot about the emotional importance of fonts. At the end of the workshop, a font for Barcelona was created from all our sketches.
Even though there were some inspiring talks at the OFFF, there were still things to criticize about the fair. For one thing, there were far too few female speakers at this fair, which I found disturbing. Some talks were more like a portfolio presentation than inspirational or impulse giving. In my opinion, the talk we got from Marta Handenawer at the agency Domestic Data Streamer was one of the best, most educational and inspiring I have seen in Barcalona.
The design of a bespoke musical interface designed to engage the public’s interest in wildlife sounds by Andrew R. Brown
I liked that this project used smooth real-time mapping of human gesture data to synthesis the sound of wildlife calls. As seen in the P.L.A.C.E performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKgLrrI-MEU it forces the musician to move in unusual ways to produce sounds which makes the performance interesting to watch. I liked the idea of the inventor to design the Call as an a compact and inexpensive device design with minimal gestural dimensions in order to be suitable for use by the general public in community workshops or for infrequent personal interaction, thus sparking creativity.
The User Interface of the Opject seems simple enough to be easily learnable. For the hardwear design I like that it is a handheld objektiv and that the size was kept as compact as possible to minimize resource usage in production. As the software was built with an Arduino it still feels very much like a replicable project. The gestural interface spoke to be as we already produced our own prototypes last semester with our phones using the sensors. So I could imagine myself being able to construct something like this someday.
Technological devices such as mobile phones, computers, and the internet can provide digital interventions for various mental health-related issues, providing a regular contact point with professionals, reminding patients to take medication, and providing brain training exercises that help to alleviate the symptoms of various mental health disorders.
Digital interventions have shown great promise for numerous mental health disorders. Younger individuals frequently choose online options when seeking healthcare advice. Online counseling can be an excellent initial method of mental health triage, where more serious cases can be referred to more traditional mental health services. There is a significant economic incentive for the widespread adoption of such mental health triage centers, which could improve mental health disorder detection and treatment and streamline existing mental health services, freeing up outpatient clinics and directing patients to where they can receive the most suitable assistance.
Mental health apps
Mental health apps are mobile apps designed to help users improve their emotional well-being, become more mindful, and address common mental health issues. Some mental health apps allow users to access online talk therapy or psychiatric care. Others may help you to begin a meditation practice, cope with stress and anxiety, or improve sleep quality. Available for iOS and/or Android users, mental health apps are typically designed to be used via smartphone or tablet.
The best mental health apps are affordable, user-friendly, and well-designed, with few technical glitches. Many of these apps have unique features that allow you to improve your overall wellness in enjoyable, accessible ways. High-quality therapy apps remove some of the usual barriers to mental health care, while mindfulness apps can help you achieve better focus and productivity.
Headspace
The Headspace app is designed for folks who are new to mindfulness and looking for some guidance. As its tagline suggests, Headspace aims to foster a space where meditation is made simple. Headspace operates as a full-service relaxation solution. It teaches eight helpful techniques derived from Burmese and Tibetan Buddhist traditions and each method is contextualized throughout the different meditations, accompanied by animations that provide clarity. A study conducted at Yale University found that meditation was able to decrease DMN brain activity, so when the brain starts to meander into anxious territory because of new connections that form through meditation, the mind can snap back into a place of calm.
Ai – Robot Therapy
Following the trend of developing practical conversational artificial intelligence (AI), companies have begun to create systems that focus not on the ability to assist individuals with mundane everyday needs but rather to provide health services that would otherwise be much more difficult to access. In particular, psychologists and computer scientists have been working together to produce versions of this technology that play some of the therapeutic conversational roles that are typically saved for human psychotherapists (e.g., offering empathic responses and providing instructions on how to apply well-tested treatments like cognitiv behavioural therapy). Robot therapists remove many barriers that may otherwise have prevented some individuals from seeking treatment or applying it effectively. Benfits: Cheaper , Less time consuming, Available on-demand, Able to provide users with access to treatments without having to navigate complex mental health systems
